Category: Neighborhood

A Very Cure Halloween

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I was watching a YouTube video the other day that was sponsored by Opera, the web browser.

I admit, I completely forgot it existed, but decided to download it this morning to see whether I prefer it to Google Chrome. So far, I do. I really like the left-hand sidebar in Opera where your chats and music live, instead of having to keep open tabs for them. As far as performance, time will tell whether it hogs more resources than Chrome did.

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I had a really nice Halloween afternoon – I edited a backlog of photos while listening to The Cure on the BBC Sounds radio app. They were streaming them in celebration of their new album being released November 1st.

The first show I listened to was pre-recorded recently and included songs from the upcoming album.

Tracklist from the BBC 2 Radio set:

1. Alone
2. Pictures of You
3. A Fragile Thing
4. High
5. A Night Like This
6. Lovesong
7. The Walk
8. In Between Days
9. Just Like Heaven
10. From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea
11. Endsong

The second show was a live stream of them playing at a small venue in the UK.

Tracklist from the BBC 6 Live set (which is listed incorrectly on the BBC website):

1. Plainsong
2. Last Dance
3. I Can Never Say Goodbye
4. Burn
5. And Nothing Is Forever
6. At Night
7. A Forest
8. All I Ever Am
9. Prayers for Rain
10. Disintegration

They sounded amazing, as usual, and it was a wonderful listening experience.

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We got about the same amount of trick-or-treaters this year as past years, definitely no more than twenty total kids, most of them between 5 and 7 pm, with one boy coming around 7:20. I ended up closing the door at 7:30 because technically the official hours are until 7. The neighbor across the street brought her two boys this time (they didn’t show up last year) and I had made a treat bag for them. I just gave loose candy to the rest of the kids, but next year maybe I’ll make bags for everyone. I usually do, but just didn’t feel like it this year.

We got the big bag of Swedish Fish, Sour Patch Kids, and mini Oreos since we like them all and knew we’d have leftovers.

I think the uneven distribution with the Oreos is partially responsible for me not making the treat bags.

I was worried I’d have a big group of kids where some would get three types of treats and then others would get only two. I hate the idea of disappointing anyone.

Weekend Recap (08/24-08/25)

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Saturday (08/24) morning we headed to Wheaton to check out their French market shortly after it opened.

There were so many booths – vendors selling fresh-brewed coffee, soaps, jewelry, pet items, fresh fruit and veggies, baked goods, and flowers, many many flowers. They weren’t cheap either, but so many people were walking around with bouquets.

There were also a decent amount of dogs. We saw the cutest Bernese Mountain Dog puppy. I could see how a place like that would be a good place to socialize a dog with all the noises, smells, and people.

We had eaten homemade breakfast burritos beforehand so we wouldn’t be tempted by all the goods, but then quickly regretted that decision. There was a tea booth in particular I’d like to try, as well as a booth selling mini breakfast pizzas which looked yummy.

We did get a very moist cranberry scone that we ate a little of while people watching. I forgot to get a photo before we dug in though.

After the market and a quick trip to Home Depot we chilled at home for a bit before heading back out to a local trailer & RV business that was throwing an open house, complete with free BBQ.

Joe teased me for wanting to go, but changed his tune after we were given what in my opinion is the best pulled pork sandwich I’ve ever had in my life. The meat was so juicy, tender, and flavorful, and they were really generous with the portion. The BBQ sauce was delicious as well, and I’m super picky when it comes to that sort of thing.

I ended up asking one of the guys handing out the food where it came from and was told one of the employees there owns a BBQ catering business and fired up his smoker at midnight to prepare. The place is called Pasatiempo Barbecue and I’m considering buying some food and that BBQ sauce from the site.

I was impressed by how much food and little gifts this place was giving to people and yet not applying any sales tactics on a single person. They left such a good impression that if we were ever in the market for an RV they’d be the first place that would come to mind.

With our bellies full of delicious BBQ, we went home and changed into our swim suits and headed to the pool.

We got a whole 15 minutes of the pool to ourselves before people started arriving, but it didn’t get overly crowded, so we spent almost two hours there. Most of that time was actually in the pool either swimming, or chatting with this one girl who used to live in the neighborhood and comes back frequently to watch her parents’ home when they vacation in Greece where they are from. She’s super nice and has a black lab that Wookie used to tolerate.

There was also this guy in the pool we didn’t recognize who was eavesdropping in on our conversation about the pulled pork sandwiches. He ended up leaving so he could go get some!

I’m not sure I entirely love the swim shorts I recently bought from Kohl’s, as I hadn’t considered how much they move around in the water, but I love the top piece! It’s like a sports bra which is much better than the bikini top I used to wear that would pull at my neck. As for the bottoms, I would have been happier with a bike short type bottom instead, I think.

After the pool we once again chilled at home for a bit before heading back out to the Festival of Arts at Lake Ellyn in Glen Ellyn. We browsed all the artwork and handmade items and ended up getting some toasted marshmallow gelato that we shared on a bench by the lake.

Despite the warm temps it felt nice in the shade.

Before leaving I bought a cute mushroom and snail figurine.

After the festival we grabbed some Baskin Robbins since there was a BOGO deal though T-Mobile.

I had checked their prices online earlier in the day so was shocked that the in-store price was much higher. Website said a double scoop was $5 but in store they charged $7.50. WTH? (I later learned I had been looking at the wrong location online and the one we chose to visit is just more expensive regardless of how you order).

After picking up our ice cream we also grabbed dinner from Taco Bell since I had a reward in my account. Healthy eating this day, as you can see!

Sunday (08/25) was all about errands. Grocery shopping in the early morning followed by some retail shopping at Kohl’s and TJ Maxx. I honestly don’t know how people can shop all day because it’s just exhausting!

June Recap

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06/01 (Sat) – Put out the new welcome mat we got from Walmart. The dog related one we got years ago, also from Walmart, was discolored and faded, so it was time.

We also decluttered and organized the garage, mostly the tool side since the storage bin side was still in good shape.

Tried Taco Bell’s limited time Big Cheez-It Tostada.

Was it good? Yes! Is it worth $4? I don’t think so. I did enjoy it, though. They took my favorite item off their menu so a trip to TB is rare these days.

06/06 (Thu) – Finally got window treatments installed on all the upstairs windows. It hasn’t been a priority, and I was feeling decision paralysis because I wasn’t sure if I wanted them to all match or not. Plus with the new windows installed they cannot be mounted on the inside of the frame, which I prefer, so I just wasn’t excited about anything. Finally just went with a blackout cellular shade in the workout room / Joe’s bedroom (yes, we sleep separately, and no, it has not ruined our marriage *), light-filtering cellular shades in the office, and room darkening vinyl pull-down shades in the main bedroom (because there’s already curtains installed as well). All of them were obtained from Lowes and are not the highest quality but they look nice so I don’t care.

* When I was sick in 2019 we started sleeping in separate rooms because I would toss and turn all night long and Joe needed his sleep since he was the only one working. Then when I got better we decided it made more sense for us both to get quality sleep by not sharing a bed. He snores and I’m a fairly light sleeper in general.

06/07 (Fri) – Discovered our cherry tomato plant, which we bought less than a month prior, had tomatoes growing on it. Then the next day they were gone, eaten by something.

06/08 (Sat) – We went to K’s house to hang out with her and her friend, J. We’ve met a few times but this was the first time we really could talk extensively. I really like her, and it was a fun day.

06/10 (Mon) – Next door neighbor got a puppy – a black lab & Saint Bernard mix named Hank. We’ve never really spoken to the neighbor until later in the month when she was out with her boyfriend and the puppy. Since then we’ve gotten to play with the puppy a couple of times. He’s super cute and is gonna be a big dog.

06/16 (Sun) – Learned that they’re opening a Bibibop (Asian fast food place) close to home. There are two about equidistant apart from us but still a half hour drive. The new one will be less than 10 minutes away. I’m happy because our preferred location shares a parking lot with the emergency vet we took Wookie to right before she passed so I can’t bear to go back there now… and for whatever reason didn’t want to go to the other location, so I haven’t had my fix in months.

06/22 (Sat) – Put out the memorial garden stone my mom sent us for Wookie. It’s by the front door where its less apt to get stepped on by any of the landscapers.

Went to see Joe’s daughter’s new condo and had lunch with her and her SO at Pepe’s near their new home. We haven’t eaten at a Pepe’s in years and it’s not nearly as good as I remember so I doubt we’ll go back.

06/27 (Thu) – Watched the presidential debate. Boy was that a mistake. How have we come to this? Our choices are between an evil piece of shit or a guy with dementia. We’re screwed unless both these guys drop dead before November. One can hope!

Went to Old Time Pottery to look for some inexpensive garden décor and found these items for 25% off.

Spent less than $20 and that includes a large pinwheel I plan to place in the front by our tree. The one I got from Dollar Tree a few years back looks frayed already even though I didn’t use it until a month or two ago. It’s fabric, though, and the OTP one is plastic, so it should last longer.

May Recap

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May wasn’t a good month since it began with us losing Wookie.

We kept busy by visiting a lot of forest preserves since spring migration was happening and we didn’t want to sit around at home moping. We even went on a guided bird walk one morning which was nice. It was the most socialization with strangers we’ve had in a long time. And I did see, and photograph, some new to me birds which was nice.

The month included lots of visits to the arboretum too. I don’t think we’ve ever gotten as much value out of our membership as we have since signing back up (after a few years reprieve) in September. We even went there immediately after saying goodbye to Wookie since we couldn’t bear the thought of coming home to an empty house. So it’s become our peaceful retreat. I wish it was a bit closer to home, though.

We also worked on making our patio area look nice. With everything going on with Wookie the zinnias I had started growing inside in April didn’t take when I haphazardly planted them outside, so we bought some dwarf zinnias and other flowers at a gardening club sale, and additional zinnas, misc flowers, and tomato plants from a local farm. We also got some cute fencing and new solar lights from Walmart, so the patio is really coming along.

It’s too bad the new landscapers our association hired suck. They’ve been in the area twice and have overlooked trimming our bush and a neighbor’s bushes both times even though they’ve done everyone else’s in the vicinity. I can tell they have far fewer workers than the last company so I think they took on a larger project than they can reasonably handle. One week they cut 1/4th of our backyard and didn’t do the rest until the following week. They can’t seem to focus on making one entire area look good before moving onto the next, so there are areas that are only halfway landscaped. It’s really aggravating!

In other news, my ability to concentrate on tv shows, movies, and books has been awful the past few months. We’ve hardly watched anything new and have been sticking to re-watching shows like Mom and The Big Bang Theory. I had to lower my book reading challenge on Goodreads from 52 to 24 since I was falling way behind. I’ve only read 14 books this year, most of which were read prior to April. I’ve lost count of how many books I’ve started and given up on since then. Nothing can hold my attention.

It’s ironic that I have more free time than ever but am not utilizing it, at least on the entertainment front. I have been working on decluttering the house, donating unused items, and performing a digital decluttering of my computer (and digital storage spaces like Dropbox and Google Drive). The latter was spurred by me needing to make sure I had every single photo and video of Wookie backed up in several places, which required me to find them all and merge them first. I’m still not entirely done (I still need to compare what’s on my phone to what I have backed up to make sure I didn’t miss anything), but things are much more organized now.

One thing I’ve remained consistent with is exercise. I walk 30-60 minutes daily, some of that on the treadmill and the rest either at a park, forest preserve, or around the neighborhood in the evenings. I think it’s helped keep me from having a complete breakdown. Between losing Wookie and dwelling on how disappointed I am in the lack of closeness with most of my family members (and trust me, I’ve tried, but I can’t make people give a crap about me so I’ve stopped making the effort), I’ve been feeling really down.

Black-Capped Chickadees & Chipmunks

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Black-capped chickadees are one of my favorite birds because they are just adorable. While I’ve heard them frequently throughout the years in forest preserves and even our neighborhood, I’ve rarely ever seen one. Not only are they pretty tiny (4-6 inches), but they are very fast. Now that we have a feeder, they’ve recently started visiting us. We had our first visitor on Saturday, in fact, and I was able to snag this really nice photo of it.

This morning I spotted two chickadees at the feeder which made me so happy! Since then they’ve been coming by every hour or so. They like the suet I put up, but will also grab the black oil sunflower seeds and fly off to crack them open in a tree. Unlike the sparrows, finches, and mourning doves, they will not eat at the feeder. I guess they prefer their privacy.

Besides how cute they are, I love their distinctive little chirps, because I know they’re there before I even see them. Wookie, however, doesn’t like their vocalizations for some reason, and she gets huffy when she hears them. I told her to leave my little bird buddies alone.

Another creature we’ve never seen, not even once in this neighborhood, is the Eastern chipmunk, so imagine my delight when I spotted one under the feeder on November 6th.

I’ve not seen one since, but I think I heard one further away from the house when walking Wookie earlier today. They retreat to underground burrows for the winter, so I suspect it was gathering sustenance and we might not see another one until spring.